Global Warming
Global warming is a matter of great concern that is unfortunately quite often overlooked in light of other problems that seem to be more immediately demanding. There are many problems that are causing global warming. Greenhouse gases, holes in the ozone layer and the decay of the atmosphere are just a few of the problems that need to be at the very least understood by the general populace.
Greenhouse gases are chemical compounds that are found in the atmosphere. Because of their chemical makeup, they allow energy from the sun to enter the atmosphere freely. “When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere.”
Global warming is a problem that threatens the whole world. Though it has had little noticeable impact on the world so far, its potential impact could be disastrous which is why global warming has become an issue ever present in the media and for governments. Global warming is not a new phenomenon. The sun warms the Earth’s surface and to stop it over-heating the heat energy is radiated back through the atmosphere and into space. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, CFC’s and nitrogen oxides trap some of this heat thereby warming the lower atmosphere, which in turn warms the Earth’s surface. This is the ‘greenhouse effect’ and is essential to life, as without it the earth would be so cold it would be uninhabitable.
Planet earth is warming faster than at any time in the past one thousand years and there is doubt that human activity is to blame. There are many things we could do to stop the effects of global warming. One is to start recycling this would help clean up the earth. And people could stop smoking and they could reduce the use of their cars. Instead of fuel we could use solar power or any renewable source. There is increasing interest from governments in renewable energy supplies as a means of reducing greenhouse gases and global warning. The oceans are widely recognized as having the potential to provide a significant percentage of our energy requirements, and ongoing research is mapping this resource in detail. Current designs require extraction devices to be comparable in size to the length of a “typical wave”. There is evidence to suggest that much smaller point absorbers could extract energy more efficiently than current designs. There are also opportunities for both natural and man-made concentration of waves in gullies and inlets.
Governments are increasingly looking towards wind power and other renewable energy sources to combat increasing greenhouse gases and global warming. During its operating life, a typical wind turbine can produce 80 times the energy used to build, operate, and dismantle it.
Public opinion is broadly in favour of wind power, but the environmental impact of wind farms could be a barrier to future developments.
Thus it is important that individuals, society and government join hand in hand to curb the effects of global warming and make the earth a safer place to live.
